The addition of priority mechanisms in public communication systems has traditionally been employed to allow emergency traffic to be carried at high priority. Certain portions of the Public Switched Telephone Network have been upgraded to add High Priority Calling, in which special priority on the access, switch, and trunk side of public networks is given to pre-designated individuals so that emergency responder can complete their connections. Giving such connections high priority is particularly important during times of crisis, when the PSTN tends to become over-congested and when emergency responders need reliable communication.
As communications move away from the PSTN and towards public packet communication networks, such as the Internet, access networks serving these packet communication networks should also be given the ability to assign prioritization to certain communication sessions. However, care should be taken that such an ability does not give high priority to malicious communication sessions or connection attempts, as such prioritization may exacerbate the effects of denial-of-service attacks. Such prioritization would provide value for emergency responders in times of crisis, and would also provide commercial benefits that carriers could derive by providing priority access to pre-determined gateways as a value added service for customers willing to pay a premium.